


Closing the Gap

by dunbar



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 07:26:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12185583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dunbar/pseuds/dunbar
Summary: "I'm not dying for you." "I'm not dying for you either."aka the elevator scene we should've gotten





	Closing the Gap

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry for writing 843748 one shots instead of working on other shit i just get so emotional about dumb shit!!! also it's 7am and i haven't slept yet i'm sorry if it's bad

"I'm not dying for you."

"I'm not dying for you either."

Hearing the reply from Liam filled Theo with nothing short of relief. Both of them knew what the words meant, because of course they were willing to risk their asses for each other and even die to save each other. But they weren't dying tonight, not here. And plus, it gave them a nice bonus reminder of how ridiculous they'd acted in the hospital last time they fought together, a dumb way of lightening the somewhat grim mood of fear and a lack of hope. It felt like forever ago now, but it couldn't have been more than six months at most. Theo had lost track while away.

As relieved as he was to know Liam had no plans to die either, he was terrified. And for once, just this once, he wasn't trying to hide it. He was scared of dying, and, more than that, he was scared of losing Liam, and when they locked eyes, both of them knew that they were worried about the same thing. They needed each other, in every sense of the word.

Standing there, in the elevator, Theo couldn't help but consider closing the gap between them. He'd wanted to for so long, to just be the one to break the unspoken tension between the two of them and finally make it into something. His eyes flicked to Liam's lips, and then slowly brought his gaze back up to Liam's. He wanted to, more than anything, but the idea of breaking the illusion that nothing else was going on between then was so intimidating, especially if Liam wasn't willing. Theo thought he himself was hard to read, but at least that was intentional. Liam was a walking puzzle, and he barely even seemed to notice.

Liam looked away, almost shyly, and Theo tried not to feel embarrassed that he'd stared so long that he couldn't even deal with the eye contact any longer. He moved a bit, so close to Liam that they were almost touching. Almost, always almost.

Theo knew he wasn't going to do it, he couldn't. He'd never loved anyone, never even been loved, but something was there with Liam and he was so scared of ruining it. He'd have spent a lifetime as friends, as even less than friends, if it meant that the fire in his chest wouldn't be put out by a sour rejection from the one person he'd ever learned to care about as an individual. Love was a fragile thing, and Theo was too callous to be allowed to hold something so delicate in his hands. He didn't have that right.

"Theo?" Liam's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he fought back a blush as he realized how close they were. Their faces were inches apart, and Theo had been staring at him for what must have been at least thirty seconds.

Theo responded with a sound, a quiet noise with an inflection so Liam knew it was a question. He didn't trust himself to say anything, not while Liam was so close, not while he was so distracted by the way Liam stared back at him far too softly, and the way his lips parted as he exhaled. Theo was trying not to look at his lips, but he wasn't making it easy.

"If you even try to do anything self-sacrificial this time, I'll kick your ass anyway" Liam whispered, barely audible even in the empty elevator.

Theo opened his mouth to say something in response, something pointless and snarky about how he'd just said he wasn't going to die for him, even if he hadn't really meant that either, but he couldn't even get a syllable out before Liam pushed him against the side of the elevator, too gently to even be called a shove. Liam smelled like a mess of a combination of fear and concern and passion and maybe even _love_ because, even though Theo himself wasn't familiar with the feeling, the McCall pack reeked of it, all the time. 

Liam's lips weren't more than an inch away from Theo's, but they were at the emotional equivalent of a stalemate. If Liam pulled away, they both knew neither of them would ever bring it up again, and they could go back to pretending that there wasn't anything going on between them. If either of them closed the last bit of space between them, things would change forever. And that was a scary thought.

Theo didn't move, eyes still fixated on Liam's lips as he tried his best to keep his heartbeat steady, even while Liam's was beating much faster than usual, and they could both hear it.

And Theo swore he wouldn't be the one to do it, because, considering Liam was his closest and debatably only real friend, he had so much to lose. But standing there, with Liam so close that he could feel his breath with each exhale against his own mouth, he decided that, maybe, taking the risk wasn't such a bad idea. Because this was Liam, and Theo trusted him with his life, with everything he was. 

Theo brought his hands up to Liam's face, one cupped his cheek while the other pushed into the hair on the back of his head.

And when he kissed him, it felt like fire in the best ways; it was warm and comforting and passionate all at once. Liam pushed back into the kiss, so eagerly that Theo couldn't help but smile in the middle of it all. Sure, he was terrified—they both were—but in that moment, he felt nothing but the heat from Liam's body being pushed up against his chest as they kissed like they'd done it a hundred times. Maybe because they'd both played it out in their heads that often, or maybe because it was just something that was meant to happen, but it felt right, perfect even. 

Liam pulled himself away, slowly and definitely regretfully, and stared at Theo, looking unbelievably content despite the hunters waiting outside the elevator doors. 

"Don't die on me, I have to do that again later," Theo muttered, lightly brushing over Liam's bottom lip with his thumb. 

Theo wasn't familiar with love, not personally, but he knew enough to recognize that burning feeling in his chest, and the constant overpowering desire to protect Liam and only him, and the way his stomach fluttered ridiculously when Liam said or did anything remotely cute. But the realization came to him in that moment, seconds before they'd go off to fight hunters, that love wasn't just the feelings. It was a choice, backed up by trust, and he was happy to wholeheartedly make that choice, to give Liam the bits and pieces of himself that he wasn't even aware still existed. To choose to give someone the best and worst of himself, to let them have him and all his faults and vulnerabilities; that was love.

"You ready?" Liam asked, taking a step back and turning his body towards the door as he kept his eyes on Theo.

"Let's go," Theo smiled at Liam, really smiled, and got ready for the doors to open.


End file.
